eCache

What was your first baseball game attended?

Thirty-plus years ago I had the pleasure of seeing my first professional baseball game. Walking into the newly-opened Veterans Stadium is as vivid today as it was then. The bright green turf made an impression that something wonderful was about to unfold. That it did!

They played two that Sunday . . . a twi-night doubleheader. The Phillies took the opener and the Pirates rebounded in the second.

My parents took me to this outing with my friend David. Those are us above. I recall trying to get Roberto Clemente’s autograph. He rebuffed me . . . in Spanish.

The good folks at Retrosheet provided game data for our introduction to baseball. The actual game is lost from my memory, but should anyone at MLB, the Phillies, or the Pirates search their vaults and provide a videotape of this night, I would not complain. Four Hall-of-Famers played that day: Clemente, Stargell, Mazeroski, and Bunning.

Disclaimer
Lest anyone think because of the photograph above I am a Pirates fan, I am not. It is true that Roberto Clemente is my favorite player of all time, but I have rooted for the Phillies since I can remember.

Game One Data
box score